MetLife, Enterprise and more walk back NRA relationship following boycott

Backlash on social media is an effective way to get a brand manager’s
attention.

TV celebrity Kylie Jenner recently showed what damage a social media post
could do to an organization—after her tweet disparaging Snapchat,
Snap’s shares dropped nearly 8 percent. Aside from tumbling shares, online boycotts and criticism can also force
organizations to take a stand.

Enter #BoycottNRA: After
the recent Florida school shooting, hashtag participation from social media users with both big and small
followings have prompted several brands to cut ties with the National Rifle
Association.

Backlash against the NRA has intensified in the wake of the massacre in
Parkland, Florida that killed 17 people on February 14, 2018. And while
“hashtag activism” has been criticized in the past as the lazy person’s
tool, brands have been uncharacteristically responsive on social media this
week as calls for boycotts have gotten significantly
louder
.

The Twitter hashtag #BoycottNRA is aimed at companies that offer special
discounts to NRA members. FedEx, for instance, offers a
26 percent discount to business class members of the gun advocacy organization. And Symantec’s
anti-malware brand Norton offers steep discounts as well, slashing its
premium service from $110 per year to $48.

As the hashtag trended on Twitter and Facebook comments grew on Thursday
and Friday, several organizations made official statements that they were
halting discounts and stopping services offered to NRA members.

MetLife said it would stop providing discounts to NRA members for auto and
home insurance. "We value all our customers but have decided to end our
discount program with the NRA," the company told USA TODAY in a statement.

Cybersecurity firm Symantec, which offered NRA discounts to its LifeLock
identity theft protection service and Norton anti-virus software, told USA
TODAY on Friday that it had "stopped its discount program with the National
Rifle Association."

Aside from mobilizing its PR teams, organizations taking a stand have
turned to social media to spread the news.

MetLife and Symantec tweeted the statements the companies shared with
reporters:

We value all our customers but have decided to end our discount program with the NRA.

Customer feedback has caused us to review our relationship with the NRA. As a result, First National Bank of Omaha will not renew its contract with the National Rifle Association to issue the NRA Visa Card.

Visa, in a statement, said that it had no contractual or financial
relationship with the N.R.A.

“Visa co-branded cards do not represent an endorsement by Visa of that
cause or organization,” the company said. “We strive to make our payment
services available to all people in all places, for uses consistent with
local, national, and international laws.”

"Banks and other companies are sensitive to being on the wrong side of a
social media campaign, which can spread pretty quickly these days," said
Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan business professor who has taught
classes on marketing. "They don’t want to risk having people march or
boycott."

But Gordon said a widespread movement against NRA-affiliated companies was
"unlikely" because most consumers don't change their behavior based on
political issues.

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment. CEO Wayne LaPierre
told the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday that “as usual the opportunists wasted not one second to
exploit tragedy for gain," adding that gun control advocates and the media
“hate the NRA, they hate the Second Amendment, they hate individual
freedom.”

Though Enterprise, Symantec, First Bank of Omaha and MetLife are now facing
criticism from angry NRA members, other consumers are applauding the
decisions.

What do you think of the way these organizations are taking a stand, PR Daily readers?